Chapter 512: False Celestial, the Mother Terra Celestial (6)

Chapter 512: False Celestial, the Mother Terra Celestial (6)

“Huff, huff, huff...!” Antares the ‘Scorpio’ ran through an unknown place.

The surroundings were pitch-black and filled with impure energy. Even Celestials and Star Signs would be unable to escape that place, so they were reluctant to even enter its vicinity.

It was <Nihil>. Antares was running in the place that flowed between dimensions, universes, and Worldlines. There was no concept of space in <Nihil>, so it was difficult to tell how far he had gotten no matter how hard he ran. Nevertheless, he kept on running to avoid possible pursuers.

‘Twilight, Twilight, Twilight...! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you at all costs...!’

Antares went through all kinds of humiliation in the <Underworld>. The Bloodless Hell was a place where the flow of time could not be sensed, and he was brought in and out of that place several times. Even when Antares was outside, however, Thanatos did not ask him any questions. Antares had a lot of information and knew many of the secrets of <Horoscope>, but Thanatos had stayed indifferent to him.

Instead of interrogating Antares, Thanatos continued to experiment on him to learn about [Gaia's Curse] using his [Impervious Body] trait. The scientist who introduced himself as Byeonseong creeped Antares out.

The Bloodless Hell was literally hell. It was a place of nothingness where Antares could feel or think about nothing. It felt as if the only thing he could do was fall endlessly into darkness. As a person who had spent his entire life reigning, staying in the Bloodless Hell was an unbearable punishment for him.

Antares would sell his own soul to escape from that place. Loyalty to <Horoscope>? Guilt? None of that mattered to him. The others in <Horoscope> would have done the same in his situation. If necessary, Antares could expose the secret of ‘Taurus’. The information about how ‘Taurus’, ‘Leo’, and the missing ‘Ophiuchus’ were the same people as ‘Divine Twilight’ would be worth a lot.

Nevertheless, Thanatos asked him no questions, so Antares burst into tears and gave up all the information he had prepared to strike up a deal.

“Is that so? It’s praiseworthy of you to tell me everything when I didn’t even ask. You’re an exemplary prisoner.” Thanatos nodded.

“Then let me...!”

“So...”

“...?”

“...what?”

That was the only answer Antares got from Thanatos, frustrating him to no end. The unceasing experiments on Antares continued afterward. That was when his grudge against Chang-Sun began to burn hotter than ever; he could never forgive Chang-Sun for shoving him into a place like this.

Someday. Someday Antares would break out from the < Underworld> and have his revenge...

Antares had unexpectedly received an opportunity..

‘He’s using me as bait to head to where the Mother Terra Celestial is sealed and deactivate all the traps in advance,’ Antares thought.

Half of his mind had collapsed after the long period of torture, but he still had a trace of rationality. That was why he decided to play along with Chang-Sun despite his own thirst for revenge. Chang-Sun was planning to use Antares as a pawn, but, well...

‘It’s not going to be that easy.’ Antares’ eyes gleamed sharply.

The place where the Mother Terra Celestial was sealed was like Antares’ front yard, so he knew how dangerous it was. Even though he did not know what Chang-Sun’s plan was, he believed it would probably not work out in Chang-Sun’s favor.

*

Meanwhile, Chang-Sun was quietly following Antares from not so far away, chuckling. ‘He still doesn’t know his place and tries to scheme.’

Although it was unclear whether Antares was aware of Chang-Sun, his thoughts and actions did not stray too far from the possibilities that Chang-Sun could see with his [Foretelling Eye]. Since Chang-Sun was not looking at Antares directly, it was unclear what Antares’ exact goal was, but it did not seem as if it would be a big threat to him.

‘In any case...’ Chang-Sun took a look around with his arms crossed. ‘...I didn’t know a place like this existed in <Nihil>.’

At one point, Chang-Sun found himself walking down a quiet forest trail. Nothing was supposed to exist in <Nihil>, but matter appeared, although they were very faint.

[You are currently walking in the shattered <Myths> of the ‘Mother Terra Celestial’!]Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

The legend of Medusa and her sisters turning those who looked at them into stone was very popular. Between her hair of snakes, her beautiful appearance, and her bare feet that almost led Chang-Sun to presume that she was a fairy... From what Chang-Sun knew, the statue looked very similar to the Gorgon Sisters.

‘So if I’m able to undo the petrification curse, I’ll be able to discover the secret of [Gaia's Curse] too... It’s hard.’ Chang-Sun poured out a drop of his potion just in case.

Drip―!

However, the drop simply rolled across the surface, and the statue showed no response.

‘The potion only increases tolerance, and won’t undo the curse itself.’ Chang-Sun touched the statue.

He observed every detail of the statue with his [Foretelling Eye], but he could see nothing, which meant he had nothing he could use right now.

“Should I catch Antares first and talk to him?”

Thinking Antares had to be close by, Chang-Sun was about to increase his range of perception; but just then, a shiver went down his spine. He quickly turned around and saw a knight in full armor swinging his greatsword downward. In response, Chang-Sun quickly drew the [Yuchang Sword].

Claaaang!

Sparks flew up as the two swords clashed.

‘He’s strong!’ Chang-Sun’s eyes gleamed coldly.

Although he had the Divine Class of Celestial King and Outer Celestial, the knight could still withstand his power. That meant the knight was a formidable opponent, and could not possibly be Antares. As Chang-Sun quickly scanned his opponent who had appeared out of the blue, the knight’s sword caught his eye.

‘No way.’

[You have found a Hidden Piece!]

[You have found the Shengxie Sword, one of Ou Yezi’s Nine Fine Swords!]

‘Why is this sword here?’

The Mother Terra Celestial had existed even long before the first Ou Yezi was born. It did not make sense for one of the Nine Fine Swords to be in her <Myth>, but there it was.

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

Without paying attention to Chang-Sun’s reaction, the iron-armored knight quickly swung his [Shengxie Sword]. Despite the sword being over two meters long, the knight’s attacks were as quick and sharp as those of any combatant who used a lighter sword to take advantage of their speed.

Chang-Sun decided to subdue the iron-armored knight first. The fact that the knight had the [Shengxie Sword] was one reason, but he was also a resident in the <Myth>. Thus, Chang-Sun would be able to get a lot of information from him. In addition, Chang-Sun’s desire to win was increasing after he encountered a skilled opponent.

Thus, Chang-Sun took a step backward and used the [Yuchang Sword] to parry the [Shengxie Sword] to the side. At the same time, he drew [Tiamat's Snaggletooth] with his left hand, immediately swinging it upward to slash the iron-armored knight’s chest.

Even after Chang-Sun suddenly drew a new weapon, the iron-armored knight remained completely unfazed. He calmly retreated backward and drew a tower shield from his back. After using the shield to parry away [Tiamat's Snaggletooth], the knight held it up and menacingly charged toward Chang-Sun like a tank.

Creeeeak―

Chang-Sun did not run away and crossed his swords to tackle it head-on. When it came to a battle of physical strength, Chang-Sun was confident that he would never go down easily.

Roaaaaar!

Right at that moment, the upper body of a Cataclysm Celestial appeared behind Chang-Sun with a roar. It raised its arm high in the air and struck the iron-armored knight with its ax. The attack caused the knight’s helmet to be destroyed, revealing his face.

Just then, Chang-Sun could not help but frown. ‘Not again. How many times has this already happened?’

The knight looked exactly the same as Chang-Sun.

1. The term here is most likely the Ancient Greek gorgós, which translates to ‘grim, fierce, terrible’ - the association will be made clear very shortly. ☜